The Bulls Head, Heyside: Excellence from nose to tail.

September 11, 2019 Chris 1778 Views 0 Comments

We first caught up with Head Chef at The Bulls Head, Heyside, James Taylor, at this years Cotton Clouds Festival in Greenfield. With a queue of hungry punters to satisfy, James and his team were working tirelessly from their outside kitchen to serve up a whole host of mouth watering treats to revellers. Having sampled the goods whilst enjoying Peter Hooks set, it was then that we decided to take a trip James’s latest venture, The Bulls Head in Heyside.

James already has an excellent reputation as an innovative and forward thinking chef after running the acclaimed Beastro restaurant in Manchester’s Spinningfields along with wife Heather. Although a successful business, the daily grind of getting to and from the restaurant with a young family was proving hard work, so as luck would have it, the Bulls Head (next door to the family home) became available, and so, the next chapter of their lives began.

The Bulls Head re-opened in June, and the locals were unsure what to expect with the new owners. However, they shouldn’t have worried, as the family were local themselves after all.

With two rooms which have been tastefully decorated, this lends itself to offer both a restaurant area and the bar area where you can also enjoy a meal.

As James like to be adventurous and create something special you can be sure of a culinary adventure to remember. He prides himself on using every bit of the animal he’s cooking from ‘nose to tail’, and ensures that he only uses the finest and freshest ingredients in his dishes which he sources personally.

The ever changing seasonal menu will certainly impress everyone on your table. Coupled with the friendly, welcoming charm of Heather, the couple are certainly onto a winning thing at The Bulls Head. Once seated we were treated to a selection of dishes suggested by James himself, so who were we to argue.

We were presented with a starter of Wild Lancashire mushrooms cooked in a white wine, shallots and cream served on a homemade crumpet which was simply fantastic. Then came a dish which I personally love. Its one of those dishes you attempt to cook yourself at home, but never quite hits the heights, unlike James. Again cooked to perfection.

If Corn beef hash made with salt brisket, new potatoes, carrots, kale and topped with a poached egg doesn’t float your boat, then nothing will.